Refugee Zumba instructor dances her way into remission

Omaha, Nebraska: Hadeel Haider has lost enough sleep in the past decade.

The Iraqi refugee had nightmares in her native country when it was ravaged by war. She heard explosions 24 hours a day. Her husband received death threats, and they walked their children to school so they wouldn’t be kidnapped.

In her new Omaha home, she tossed and turned after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Now in remission and settled into life in America, she stays awake imagining choreography to the upbeat Latin tunes playing in her head.

While recovering from chemotherapy treatments, Haider (48) discovered Zumba. The dance fitness classes set to Latin music are more than exercise to her. Zumba has become a rewarding way to connect with others, and it helped her transition from a cancer patient to survivor. Now Haider is a certified instructor.

“When I teach a class, I feel like I’m on top of the world. American people following a refugee from Iraq teaching them dancing — it was something out of my wildest dream,” Haider told the Omaha World-Herald.

Haider moved to Omaha in 2009. It took nearly three years for her to adapt to life in the US. She had to learn English and adjust to a new culture. She balanced working 12 hours a day at two jobs.

And the family would soon encounter health problems, first with her 18-year-old son. He developed a bump on his head that his parents worried would be cancer. After several tests, doctors determined it was benign.

While dealing with that, Haider put herself second. For months, she pushed aside her own health problem: an itching and swelling in her groin.